Michael KuklaNew York, NY

Michael Kukla had been working in marble for his organic sculpture, but a visit to Egypt where he saw the sculpture, Menkaure and Khamerernebty, dated about 2500 BC and rendered in black slate with extreme precision, sparked an interest in working in black slate as a contrast to the white marble. “The Egyptians are my biggest influence,” says Kukla. “The way they worked in stone four to five thousand years ago with the technical limitations of metallurgy at the the time, far surpasses our ability today. They worked with the most obdurate stone on earth with little more than copper chisels and wooden hammers.” Kukla is exhibiting two of his black slate sculptures in Slate as Muse, one using Pennsylvania black slate for Star #2 and the other using a black slate for Black Hole Sun that is believed to have originated in Monson, Maine. Viewed side-by-side, one can see their subtle differences in color and tone and how the artist worked differently with each of them due to the variance in hardness. “Black Hole Sun is a warmer (browner) black and the stone is very hard and obdurate,” says the artist. The Pennsylvania black of Star #2 is a cooler (bluer) black and is softer and more yielding. As with any stone, there is a voice or sound when it is being carved. It rings like a bell. The voice of the stone in Black Hole Sun has a higher pitch than Star #2.” “Whatever material I work with, I try first to establish a relationship,” says Kukla. “I get to know what is possible and what is not. When I drill into a slab of slate, I have to be careful not to go into the grain. I then grind out the drilled holes with diamond tools and water. The grinding is less stressful on the stone and can be done with the grain or against it.” “For Black Hole Sun, I purchased a cut block black slate from Mohawk Red Slate Company in Granville. My primary consideration is the clarity of black of the slate. I do not want distracting veining or other coloration to interfere with the presentation of the organic structures.” “With Star #2, the stone came from the Structural Slate quarry in Pen Argyle, Pennsylvania. The quality of stone, expertise of the quarriers and workmanship of the cut slabs is important in my work. It is difficult to get material that is as thick as three inches and at the same time sound, it was important to be patient and wait until the quarry foreman had found usable material.” # # # # #